News

🖼️ ART 🖼️ from Invasives with Patagonia (@patagoniatoronto) and DMWTD On Wednesday evening, DMWTD visited our great friends at Patagonia Toronto on King Street West and together we hosted a warm and crafty gathering of awesome folk who created Fall Wreaths from invasive Buckthorn and found materials. The results were stunning. Thank you so much to Jenn, Bradley and all the staff at Patagonia. Patagonia has supported DMWTD since our earliest days with gear, volunteers, financial support and partnerships like this one. This was our fourth go at wreaths this year and we have had so much fun each time. The fabulous wreaths speak for themselves. Buckthorn is a highly invasive tree that DMWTD has been removing for many years (> 40,000 removed) and our Project Buckthorn in Sunnybrook starts its fall season this Monday at 5 pm. Please come out if you can and help restore our forests as well as learn all about native and invasive plants and trees. We have everything including expert stewards and yummy snacks. Parking lot 3. ❤️ DMWTD - A registered Canadian Charity 📸 Photos by Lawrence

TetraPak Canada x Don't Mess with the Don Paddle & Protect - September 12th, 2025

Home Depot Canada x Don't Mess with the Don Stewardship - September 10th, 2025

Project Buckthorn Returns Monday Sept 15th at 5 pm for four weeks. DMWTD and TNS (@torontonaturestewards) have partnered with City of Toronto Urban Forestry over the last three years to remove over 8000 invasive Buckthorn trees. We use extractigators, snips and old-fashioned hard work to pull out the entire tree and its root system to clear this highly invasive tree and create space for native trees and plants. We have seen Trilliums, Jack in the Pulpits and many other wonderful native pants return and rebound with the new light and space we have created. Come join us Mondays at 5 pm in Sunnybrook Park - Parking lot # 3. We have all the tools, great stewards to lead and support you, drinks and snacks and a joy of stewardship. No pre-registration necessary. ❤️ DMWTD - A registered Canadian Charity #buckthornbegone #dontmesswiththedon #donvalley #nativeplants #nature #natureinthecity #naturelover #projectbuckthorn #toronto #torontonaturestewards #volunteering #volunteeringintoronto

Youth Trail Running is back for season 7 and starts September 16th for 4 weeks. We have space for 16 youth ages 11-14 to join our Tuesday evening trail running clinic 5-7 pm. 4 awesome weeks of expert instruction and exploration of the many single track trails in the Don Valley. Learn how to trail run as well as learn about ecosystems and the history of the Don. DMWTD was started by 3 trail runners in 2018 and it is our passion. Our sponsors, Salomon (@salomonrunning) and Arc’teryx (@arcteryxontario), are here with great shoes for all participants. The link to sign up is in our profile. All DMWTD programs are free all the time ❤️ DMWTD - A registered Canadian Charity #arcteryx #donvalley #dontmesswiththedon #runningtheravines #salomon #salomonrunning #salomontoronto #trailrunning #youthtrailrunning

Our Paddle & Protect Kayaking Program is incredibly popular and we are trying very hard to offer as many opportunities as possible. Our other exciting news is our Paddle & Protect T-Shirts are in and we think the shirts are pretty awesome. The T-Shirts are available at our events for $30 by either cash or e-transfer or a $30 donation through Canada Helps (link found in our profile under “Make a Donation”). We will try to get them up online soon. All funds go to support the Paddle & Protect program. We have done more than 35 clean ups this year on the water 🌊 Year to date 2025: Clean up # 56 2317 bags of trash 44,900 pounds of garbage including 1 ATM, 40 bikes, and 9 mattresses, 74 tires, 22 propane tanks, an electric guitar, and tens of thousands of disposable wipes that should not be tangled beside nor in a beautiful river in Toronto. Thank you. ❤️ DMWTD - A registered Canadian Charity

DMWTD Summer recap - The last 2 months have been so busy for us that our FB feed has been kinda sucky but our Instagram has been awesome. Here is recap of July and August for our little organization: • 2 Summer Camps - Paddle and WILD • 12 Regular Stewardship events - Removing many many thousands of pounds of DSV, Burdock, Teasel etc and planting hundreds of native plants and trees • 12 Regular Paddle & Protect Sunday kayaking clean ups • 6 Saturday Paddles with the City of Toronto at Biidaasige Park • 6 Sunset 🌆 Paddles with the City of Toronto at Biidaasige Park • 12 Saturday Mtn Biking events with more than 300 riders total • 1 Pedal and Protect Community Group ride and clean up • 1 Community clean up of Moss Park and Graffiti • removal and BBQ • 2 Drop in Paddle nights • 1 Beach BBQ with Paddle Boarding • 1 Community Stewardship event with SafeTO and Mayor Olivia Chow (@mayoroliviachow) • 1 Clean up of E. T. Seton with U of T Muslim Students Association • 1 Hosting of City of Toronto Parks and Rec camp at Cherry Beach • 6 Corporate Stewardship events • 1 Partnership event with Toronto Island SUP • 1 Partnership event with Watch This Space • 1 Partnership event with Junction Farmers Market • 2 Corporate Clean Ups of Rosedale Valley Road and the lower Don River. • 7 Corporate Paddle & Protect kayaking clean ups • 1 Canada event with MP and MPP • 1 Huge Paddle & Protect clean up of Tommy Thompson Park with U of T Trash Team, TNS and Ocean Wise • 1 Beach clean up with RBC All totalled - 79 events and over 30 clean ups with 450 bags and 7000 pounds of trash cleaned, primarily from our waterways Year to date 2025: Clean up # 56 2317 bags of trash 44,900 pounds of garbage including 1 ATM, 40 bikes, and 9 mattresses, 74 tires, 22 propane tanks, an electric guitar, and tens of thousands of disposable wipes that should not be tangled beside nor in a beautiful river in Toronto. Thank you. ❤️ DMWTD - A registered Canadian Charity 📸 Photos 3 & 4 by Dexter Cas 📸 Photo 18 by Devin Castle

Paddle & Protect - August 31st, 2025 #amazingvolunteers #communityengagement #communityimpact #dontlitter #dontmesswiththedon #donvalleyadjacent #garbagecleanup #getoutside #lakeontario #makeadifference #paddleandprotect #paddleON #riotkayaks #toronto #trashcleanup #volunteering #volunteeringintoronto

Wild Summer Camp Beach Day Dance Off (or as the campers were calling it, "Aura Farming")

Paddle Kamp, Day 3, August 20th, 2035

Paddle Kamp, Day 2 August 19th, 2025 #dontmesswiththedon #donvalleyadjacent #getoutside #paddleON #riotkayaks #toronto

Paddle Kamp, Day 1 August 18th, 2025 #dontmesswiththedon #donvalleyadjacent #getoutside #paddleON #riotkayaks #toronto

Toronto Park, Forestry and Recreation and Don't Mess with the Don Biidaasige Park Saturday Paddling - August 16th, 2025 For more info on how to join these paddles visit the link in our profile. #BiidaasigePark #communityengagement #dontmesswiththedon #donvalleyadjacent #getoutside #paddleandprotect #paddleON #portlands #riotkayaks #toronto #TorontoPFR

The hard season - Summer 2025 This year has been a tough year for our trees, plants and animals of all sorts. This prolonged drought has stressed so many living things in our ecosystems that rely on rain. So many places are parched. Our stewards have been there week after week, watering with heavy buckets in heavy heat. Thank you to all stewards that tend the soil and particularly the many DMWTD stewards who are there when we need them most. DMWTD stewarding is every Wednesday at 5 pm and we meet at 11 Redway Rd. Join us if you can. We have everything you need. Tools, plants, know how and so many souls who will inspire you with their dedication. ❤️ DMWTD - a registered Canadian Charity #amazingvolunteers #dontmesswiththedon #donvalley #nature #natureinthecity #naturelover #stewardship #toronto #volunteering #volunteeringintoronto

DMWTD WILD Summer Camp registration is open. One of the absolute highlights of 2024 for us was our first ever summer camp. We had the best time kayaking, mtn biking, trail running, doing art, stewarding, clean ups, getting wet at water fun day, beach BBQing and more. This year we have added paddle boarding and we will be visiting the new amazing Biidaasige Park. 15 youth ages 11 -14 will have a blast exploring and experiencing the Don Valley through an environmental focused camp. Our staff have decades of experience teaching youth. The camp runs August 25 - 29 and is daily from 8:30 - 4:30. As with all DMWTD programming it is completely free with everything provided. The link to register is in our profile, a fuller form will be sent to those confirmed for camp. Please, please only complete the form if your child is able to attend all five days of camp. We understand that life happens but unused spots deny another youth a chance at a camp experience. If we have more than 15 youth registered then we will do a lottery Monday evening. Our paddle camp, which starts next week, is full. If you have any questions about camp please email us at info@dontmesswiththedon.ca ❤️ DMWTD is a registered Canadian Charity

Paddle & Protect - August 3rd, 2025 #amazingvolunteers #communityengagement #communityimpact #dontlitter #dontmesswiththedon #donvalleyadjacent #garbagecleanup #getoutside #lakeontario #makeadifference #maudieinakayak #paddleandprotect #paddleON #riotkayaks #toronto #trashcleanup #volunteering #volunteeringintoronto

More Paddling Events from DMWTD-- DMWTD has many, many programs that run every week. Stewardship, Mtn Biking, Clean Ups, Arts and more, but Paddling seems to be stealing the spotlight. Here are a few more paddling options and events coming up: • August 16th - Pancakes and Paddle from Cherry Beach to Biidaasige. DMWTD will be cooking up some flapjacks on the beach at 8 am with fruit and whipped cream and then heading to Biidaasige. This is a one way paddle only.. 21 Spots - link in our profile. • September 5 to 7th - DMWTD will be heading to Algonquin Park for 2 days of paddling, fall colours, camping and a Dark Sky viewing event. Could that sound any better? - We don't think so Everything is included - food, fees, kayaks and transportation. Somehow this is also free (As all DMWTD programs are). Registration link coming very soon. 12 spots only. DMWTD hinted in our last post about our new program - PADDLE BOARDING !!!! We are very excited to announce our new paddle boarding program. We will be hosting drop in paddle boarding and taking out groups as well. Look for this in the next week. Paddling/Kayaking Environmental Camp lottery registration ends tomorrow at 11:59 pm. This camp for youth 12-16 years of age. This camp runs August 18-20 out of Cherry Beach. This camp has 15 spots for an exciting 3 days of kayaking to the new Blidaasige Park and Toronto Islands as well as PADDLEBOARDING! This camp will also be having a BBQ and beach games day. Clean ups and stewardship as well. In order to be fair we have put in place a lottery for the spots which can be entered until Sunday at 11:59 pm or when 100 spots in the lottery are filled. The lottery will be Monday August 4. We have lifeguards and great staff for this new program. Enter the lottery in the link in our profile. Lastly we found a massive truck tire submerged on Toronto Islands. We want to get it out of the lake. Looking for ideas to transport it back to Cherry Beach. Okay, that's enough paddling stuff. Back to regular DMWTD trash, plants, bikes, etc. ❤️ DMWTD - a registered Canadian Charity

DMWTD has exciting news- We will be offering two camp options this summer. Option one - Our first ever Paddling/Kayaking Environmental camp for youth 12-16 years of age. This camp runs August 18-20 out of Cherry Beach. This camp has 15 spots for an exciting 3 days of kayaking to the new Biidaasige Park and Toronto Islands as well as PADDLEBOARDING!!!! DMWTD is thrilled to announce that we are adding paddle boarding to our programming. More on that soon. This camp will also be having a BBQ and beach games day. Clean ups and stewardship as well. In order to be fair we have put in place a lottery for the spots which can be entered until Sunday at 11:59 pm or when 100 spots in the lottery are filled. The lottery will be Monday August 4. We have lifeguards and great staff for this new program. Enter the lottery here through the link in our profile. Option two - Year two of our WILD summer camp. August 25-29. We had so much fun last year and so many people are wanting to register for the camp so we are offering it again. Details coming early next week. 15 spots for youth 11-14 years of age. ALL DMWTD programs are free all the time. ❤️ DMWTD - a registered Canadian Charity #BiidaasigePark #cricketinakayak #dontmesswiththedon #donvalleyadjacent #garbagecleanup #getoutside #paddleandprotect #paddleON #portlands #riotkayaks #toronto

A DMWTD ad, at this time of year! At this time of day! In this part of the country! Localized entirely within your Instagram feed? Yes, Kaylee & Ella worked very hard to bring your attention to the invasives hidden among us. Please enjoy. And check out our Stewardship Program. This week it runs on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday at 5:00pm at the DMWTD Containers, 11 Redway Road. #amazingvolunteers #dontmesswiththedon #donvalley #nature #natureinthecity #naturelover #stewardship #thankyoukaylee #toronto #volunteering #volunteeringintoronto

Paddle, Paddle, Kayak & Kayak DMWTD kayaks have been in the water 10 of the last 14 days giving more than 200 people a chance to experience the amazing waterfront of Toronto from a kayak. We have been to the Islands, Tommy Thompson, Biidaasige Park and all over. More than 75 bags of trash and millions of microplastics removed. Things are going very well. Join the DMWTD WhatsApp Event Group or visit the Biidaasige Park events link found in our profile to get info on how to join these outings. All programs are free all the time. ❤️ DMWTD - a registered Canadian Charity #BiidaasigePark #communityengagement #communityimpact #cricketinakayak #dontmesswiththedon #donvalleyadjacent #garbagecleanup #getoutside #paddleandprotect #paddleON #portlands #riotkayaks #toronto #TorontoPFR #trashcleanup